


Fear On Fire

by GunbladeWitch



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:55:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25833856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GunbladeWitch/pseuds/GunbladeWitch
Summary: The Warrior of Light has a conversation with an unlikely ally the night before a fateful battle. It doesn't go quite as expected... Or does it?
Relationships: Gaius van Baelsar/Warrior of Light
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46





	Fear On Fire

“Come back in one piece.” 

Although Gaius’s voice was steady, there was a shade of something vulnerable, almost affectionate in the way he made his request. Very unlike his normal manner. Something that tugged her heartstrings. It made her almost feel lost about the exchange.

“Why are you asking this?” she blurted out, unsure what to make of the situation. This was not a response she expected from him. This whole conversation felt more like one of her frequent surreal dreams than something that was actually happening. It was ironic for all the chaos she had witnessed and gained an upper hand over, the thing that threw her off-balance was completely mundane.

“Is it really so unusual to ask the Warrior of Light to stay safe?” His voice rumbled like his usual self, only reaffirming her doubts. She really was just imagining things. There was no love he harbored for her, she was just another poor fool seeking his affection, as Cid would say.

“No, it would not.” Halcyon lowered her head, attempting to sound unaffected. What she truly wanted to say would be meaningless, no matter how much she wished to say it. She fought the urge to walk away, to simply run from romance and all the confusing turmoil it involved like she always had before becoming the Warrior of Light. She had no idea how to deal with love back then, and she clearly had very little idea on how to do it now.

“Halcyon.” Gaius said quietly, voice making her freeze in her place before she could leave. She turned her head to face his direction, eyes slowly wandering towards the tall figure standing in the shadows. Standing away from the dim lights in the room, much closer to her than she had initially thought, Gaius loomed. Two conflicted parts of her mind told her opposite things, and she didn’t know if it was best to leave or follow through with her promise to her to finally tell him. Unsure what to do, she adopted a neutral expression and said the only thing coming to mind.

“Be careful.” Her eyes widened as they said this simultaneously. For a few seconds, she stood still, trying to process what to do. As her curiosity gained the upper hand, Halcyon turned around and looked at his face-The very face upon which she knew every small detail, scratch and burn-the face that she had come to adore. The second their eyes met, she saw an expression she did not expect.

Piercing golden eyes looked at her with visible desperation. The very same expression that previously put her at a loss was now perfectly clear to her as Halcyon saw her very own desire echo in Gaius’s own gaze. The very thing she told herself she could never have, and yet only craved more each time she did so. The one love in her life she could not set aside despite everything was now within her reach.

“Promise me.” 

The words hit like thunder as every remains of doubt are removed from her. She stood frozen in place, unsure what to do… but not wanting to leave either. Everything about this moment, his voice, his words, the proximity of him, was drawing her in further, consequences be damned. But consequences mattered little in the face of death.

Halcyon reached her hand out, caressing the sharp jaw, her fingers running against the scruff on dark olive skin. Moving her hand towards his shoulder, she attempted to pull him closer. Somewhere at the edge of her thoughts, a stray voice was helplessly yelling at what she was doing, pleading for her to turn back, begging to remember the others, the fact that she was getting involved with a man whose head was wanted across Hydaelyn, the possible pain that would come from it. She pushed it away like a discarded item as it was drowned in the overwhelming feeling. She knew that if she doesn’t get another chance like this, she will never forgive herself. Regret had no place in her mind anymore. Right now, she just wanted to be with him while she still could.

Halcyon closed her eyes as he leaned closer to her, Gaius’s fingers roaming to the side of her neck. The feeling of his breath against her felt almost intoxicating. Giving in to her desires at last, she stretches her body, moving towards him.

As their lips met, she felt signs of hesitation between them. Whatever doubts and expectations stood in the way between them have been shattered into pieces at this point, both of them understood it perfectly. There was something almost beautiful to the stillness of it, she thought to herself. At that point in time, nothing else existed for them. No tomorrow, no others, no stray thoughts. Just them.

“I promise.” Halcyon whispered as she withdrew. Their eyes met again for a brief moment, with her seeing his gaze burning brighter than she had ever seen before. Neither of them wanted this to stop, that was clear to her. Following her instincts, Halcyon resumed the kiss, now with more force.

The want she felt in his movements as he wrapped his arms around her only told her that there was no going back. She ran her fingers through the thick hair, letting her intent be known. How long has she wanted this… And yet, it took her to face the likeliness of losing him to make the last step. How shortsighted has she been, repeating the same mistakes and seeking comfort at the ever-changing horizons while what she wanted most was right in front of her. She had thought she knew better at this point, and yet she allowed the fear of losing what she had blind her. For all the knowledge and power she had, she was still painfully shortsighted. But not today. Not now.

Halcyon let herself be lifted and carried as she kept her arms tight around him, giving him all of her attention. She felt being sloppily put down on a chilly surface as she sensed his movements become more hasty and desperate. His lips moved down to her neck as his hands trailed across her body. What once was just a kiss now was heading into a much bolder direction. One that she so wanted to follow.

She did not hesitate to follow her instinct as she slid her hand down towards his chest, looking for an opening in his many layers of clothing. Maybe what they had was indeed nonsensical from an outsider’s perspective, but none of that mattered to her. The difference between their lives, the uncertainty, the justice some might have wanted served… There was no place for these things in her heart. 

There could be anything waiting for them ahead. Countless circumstances could stand between them. A million different paths could lead them apart. For all she knew, they could even not see each other again. She didn’t want to dwell on any of this, or heed any outcomes, not tonight. For now, all she wanted was him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to TenkeyLess for the beta! And thanks to my dear friend Rainerii for fixing my horrible dialogue! 
> 
> I can't believe I did it. I wrote a romance fic.


End file.
